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identify their needs to fulfill the dream of their dream home,” Pedersen explains. “After all, their home is their home, and they have to feel good in it.”
was the man who sold them. Franchising USA recently sat down with him to discuss what makes BoConcept stand out for its customers, its franchisees, and anyone looking to invest in a franchise of their own.
A Different Furniture-Shopping Experience When customers walk in to any BoConcept location, they’re greeted by well-trained, energetic staff, stylish showrooms, and a one-stop solution for all their furniture needs. “Our sales associates, together with the customer,
“We don’t do the sales pitch,” he continues, “because the best buy is a buy. It’s not a sell. When people are walking out of a store saying, ‘I just purchased this beautiful couch,’ then they’re happy about their purchase ...versus if they walk out and say, ‘oh, this guy just sold me a couch’. We set ourselves apart from the competition by not making those pressure sales. BoConcept gives customers the opportunity to have a great shopping experience.” In order to assist their customers visualize BoConcept in their home, as well as ensure all BoConcept staff are confident in their knowledge of the brand and it’s possibilities, the company founded ‘BoConcept University’ in 2004. The university offers franchisees and their sales associates the very best in training programs, ranging from Store Manager, Sales Associate, Visual Merchandising, InHome Consultations, seminars on how to create events, as well as seminars for new franchisees.
According to Pedersen, the University “trains our people in all aspects of our business, so they can explain the BoConcept brand, the modularity and functionality of our products, but more importantly, to make sure they are equipped to give our end-customers enough accurate information in order for them to make an intelligent buying decision.” Ultimately, it comes down to this: people buy from people they trust, and BoConcept instills that trust through open, honest, and well-informed conversation with their clients.
A Community of Experts, There for You That concept of informed, intelligent decision-making extends not only to BoConcept customers, but franchisees as well. When a potential BoConcept owner is looking into investing, “we give them the information on our business and explain our excellent business model,” says Pedersen, “however we also give them the contact information of all the other franchisees, so they can call and gather their experience.” When a potential franchisee makes a commitment to open a store, BoConcept has dedicated ‘Store Opening Teams’ to
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